A pallet transport system for a textile machine of the type described above is disclosed, for example, in German Patent Publication DE 38 43 554 A1, wherein the pallet transport system has a cop delivery track extending along the rear side of the winding heads to serve as a cop reserve track for supplying yarn cops to the winding heads, and a cop return track extending along the front side of the winding heads for removing from the winding heads the empty bobbins unwound thereat. The cop delivery track and the empty bobbin return track are connected by a plurality of transverse transport tracks each of which extends through a respective winding head.
A pallet transport conveyor extends along the reserve track and is connected to a reversible drive by means of which the conveyor transport direction can be switched alternately at predetermined time intervals. Another pallet transport conveyor extending along the empty bobbin return track, as well as the transport conveyors along the respective transverse transport tracks, can be driven continuously in one direction during operation of the bobbin winding machine.
The propulsion of the transport conveyors of the transverse transport tracks takes place either, as described in German Patent Publication DE 38 43 553 A1, via a geared connection between these transport conveyors and the driven transport conveyors of the empty bobbin return track or, as practiced in actuality, via special drive elements by which one common drive is provided for the respective transverse transport tracks of one machine section.
The length of each of the transverse transport paths is sufficient that one pallet may be disposed in an unwinding position at a blower chamber while two further cop-equipped pallets are disposed in reserve or standby positions, along the transverse transport track.
The empty bobbins of the unwound cops are immediately removed along the respective transverse track in the direction toward the empty bobbin return track by means of the continuously circulating transport conveyor of the transverse transport track. In the process, the cop-equipped pallet standing in the next adjacent reserve position is simultaneously moved into the blower chamber. Subsequently, the continuous movement of the transport conveyor of the transverse transport track causes one of the cop-equipped pallets circulating on the reserve track to be pulled off the reserve track and transported along the transverse track into the reserve position adjacent the blower chamber.
A winding machine with a similarly constructed pallet transport device is also known from German Patent Publication DE 42 11 236 A1. The winding machine has a cop supply track on a higher level and an empty bobbin return track disposed somewhat lower with the supply and return tracks connected via transverse transport tracks. On the entrance side of each transverse transport track is a respective turntable for conveying pallets, the turntables being frictionally connected with the driven conveyor belt of the cop supply track to be continuously turned by it. Cop-equipped pallets are delivered to the cop supply track and are diverted via special guide tracks into the area of the transverse transport tracks to be grasped by the turntables and transferred into the winding positions of the respective winding heads.
One disadvantage of the above described winding machines, among others, is that the conveyors or other transport means of the several transverse transport tracks are driven continuously and in common with one another. It has therefore been proposed to separate the drive elements of the transverse transport tracks.
Such a winding machine with individual drives for the transverse transport tracks is described in German Patent Publication DE 43 02 763 A1. The turntables situated at the entrances to the transverse transport tracks in this case each have a ratchet mechanism and are individually operated via tappet rods of cam disks. However, this arrangement for driving the turntables is relatively expensive because of the extensive mechanical system involved.